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2026-07-14 16:43
By Sonia Shidrang, Assistant Professor at Shahid Beheshti University
Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley and Iran’s deep past on UNESCO World Heritage List
This week marks the first anniversary of a milestone that reshaped how the world sees Iran’s ancient past. On July 11, 2025, during the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Paris, the Paleolithic Sites of the Khorramabad Valley were inscribed on the World Heritage List—Iran’s 29th such site, and its first ever dedicated to the Paleolithic period.
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2026-06-09 16:25
By Afshin Majlesi
Pamenar cited as model for youth return and women’s role in rural tourism development
TEHRAN – Pamenar Village in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province has emerged as an example of how rural tourism can help reverse migration, create jobs and strengthen local participation, with young residents and women playing a central role in the village’s development, a tourism official said the Tehran Times on Monday.
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2026-05-30 17:54
Qaleh Bala: Where community-based governance aligns with wildlife conservation
TEHRAN - The village of Qaleh Bala, located at the “Golden Gate” of Touran National Park, has become a shining model of participatory governance and community-based environmental conservation in Iran.
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2026-05-30 08:25
By Afshin Majlesi
Bajestan: A quiet treasure beyond Iran’s tourist trail
TEHRAN - Set against the plain beauty of eastern Iran’s desert landscapes, the ancient city of Bajestan remains one of the lesser-known destinations of the country, despite possessing a remarkable combination of history, architecture, and natural scenery.
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2026-02-06 17:00
Iran tourism has potential to rebound quickly, guides’ head says
TEHRAN – Iran’s tourism industry has the capacity to recover quickly if security, stability and policy coordination are strengthened, the head of the Iranian Tourist Guides Association said on Thursday.
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2026-01-21 17:20
By Afshin Majlesi
Water leaks, ground subsidence raise concerns at Isfahan’s UNESCO-listed mosque
TEHRAN - Iranian authorities and heritage experts are racing to contain what they describe as a structural threat to parts of the UNESCO-registered Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, also known as the Atiq Mosque, after a limited ground subsidence, water leakage and rising moisture were detected around one of the world’s most important Islamic monuments.
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2026-01-18 17:00
By Afshin Majlesi
At Tchogha Zanbil, a living monument to Elamite faith and engineering
On a serene plain in southwestern Iran, the stepped ziggurat of Tchogha Zanbil has stood for more than 3,500 years, making it the best-preserved ziggurat outside Mesopotamia and one of the rare surviving monuments of the Elamite civilization.
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2026-01-06 17:12
By Afshin Majlesi
Sarakhieh, Iran’s little Venice
At first, it is hard to believe such a place exists in Iran. But deep inside the vast Shadegan wetland in Khuzestan province, there is a village where water is the main road and boats replace cars. This village is Sarakhieh, often called Iran’s “Little Venice.”
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2025-12-28 17:38
By Afshin Majlesi
Susa: Walking through one of the world’s oldest cities
Visiting Susa was like stepping into a living history book. From the moment I arrived in this ancient city in southwest Iran, I felt I was walking through layers of time, each step revealing traces of civilizations that shaped human history.
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2025-12-19 17:09
By Afshin Majlesi
Golestan at a glance: forests, ancient monuments and Caspian landscapes
GORGAN - Golestan is one of the least visited provinces in Iran, yet for many travelers who take the time to explore it, the region may quickly become a favorite destination.
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2025-12-12 08:40
Persian art of Ayeneh-Kari added to UNESCO intangible heritage list
TEHRAN — Ayeneh-Kari, the art of mirror-work in Persian architecture, was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on Thursday following a decision by the Intergovernmental Committee meeting in New Delhi.
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2025-12-09 17:07
By Afshin Majlesi
Sa’dabad director outlines major restoration, conservation push at former royal complex in Tehran
TEHRAN – The director of the Sa’dabad Cultural-Historical Complex says the former royal residence in northern Tehran has accelerated restoration and conservation work, completing a long-delayed digital inventory of its holdings while advancing new projects to safeguard thousands of stored objects.
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2025-11-21 17:31
Iran ranks among top 10 countries for UNESCO-listed heritage: minister
TEHRAN – Iran ranks among the world’s top 10 countries in the number of UNESCO-inscribed heritage properties and elements, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri said on Thursday during a visit to historical sites in Zanjan.
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2025-11-12 17:23
Iran seeks UNESCO recognition for 17 historic mosques showcasing ‘Persian Mosque’ legacy
TEHRAN – Iran has placed 17 of its most iconic mosques on UNESCO’s Tentative List under the collective title “Persian Mosque,” paving the way for a possible future inscription on the World Heritage List.
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2025-10-19 18:09
By Afshin Majlesi
Aran and Bidgol emerges as a must-visit desert destination
ARAN AND BIDGOL, Isfahan Province - Nestled just beyond the renowned city of Kashan, Aran and Bidgol county is rapidly emerging as one of Iran’s captivating travel destinations, offering a mesmerizing blend of vast desert landscapes, ancient history, and vibrant local culture.
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2025-10-18 09:12
By Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri, Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism
Rural heritage, global meaning: Iran’s villages as beacons of cultural sustainability
Today, as the UN Tourism Organization inscribed the three Iranian villages of Shafi’ Abad in Kerman, Kandolus in Mazandaran, and Sohaili on Qeshm Island among the Best Tourism Villages of the World 2025, a new chapter opened in the cultural diplomacy of our nation — a chapter in which rural life itself becomes a message to the world.
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2025-09-20 10:38
By Afshin Majlesi
Rageh Canyon: A natural wonder, photographer’s paradise near Rafsanjan in southern Iran
RAFSANJAN (Kerman province) - Nestled just 20 kilometers southeast of Rafsanjan in Iran’s Kerman province, Rageh Canyon is one of the country’s most striking natural landscapes.
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2025-09-06 16:42
Iran-Turkey co-op help boost tourism around Shams Tabrizi mausoleum, expert says
TEHRAN - Joint tourism cooperation between Iran and Turkey could increase the number of visitors to the northwestern Iranian city of Khoy, a local tourism expert said on Thursday.
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2025-08-23 21:58
Over 4.4 million visit Mashhad for major religious event
TEHRAN - Mashhad, the capital of Iran’s northeastern Khorasan Razavi province and home to the shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.), has hosted more than 4.4 million visitors over a nine-day period that marked one of the largest religious gatherings of the year.
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2025-08-10 16:57
By Hani Rastegaran
Lost opportunities: The untapped potential of Iran’s tourism industry
Over the past two decades, despite Iran’s significant natural and cultural potential, attracting foreign tourists—especially leisure travelers interested in historical and cultural tourism from Europe and North America—has faced serious obstacles.